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Thursday, April 16, 2015

The Disney Princess Book Tag

The Disney Princess Book Tag is brand new and was created by
my blogger friend Soudha over at Of Stacks and Cups.

Growing up I loved Disney movies just like everyone else. My
absolute favourite Disney movie (to this day) is Pocahontas, a film I used to
watch over and over again. Although it isn’t my all time favourite soundtrack (that
award goes to The Lion King), it still ranks high on my list. I can still
remember the huge Pocahontas poster I had hung on my bedroom wall.

However I admit that I am a bit behind on watching some of
the newer released Disney movies. I have yet to see The Princess and the Frog,
Tangled, Brave or Frozen, but this tag just might be the kick in the butt for
me to make the time to watch them.

Without further ado here is my response to The Disney
Princess Book Tag:

Snow White: Name your
favourite classic

Heidi by Johanna
Spyri: A book I read several times as a child in two different formats: The
Little Golden Books and a longer novel version. Heidi is the classic story
about a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the Alps with her
grandfather.

Cinderella: Name a
book that kept you reading well past your bedtime

Winter Garden by
Kristin Hannah: Winter Garden is the first book I’ve read by this author
and it certainly wouldn’t be my last. It was quite slow and cold (like its
title) to begin with but the more I learned, the more I was sucked into the
story. This book follows two sisters whose father’s dying wish was for them to
listen to their mother’s Russian “fairy tale”.

Aurora: Name your
favourite classic romance

Anne of Green Gables
Series by L.M. Montgomery (Anne and Gilbert): I admit that I haven’t read
and loved too many classic books, so this pairing probably wouldn’t win my most
favourite romance of all time, but they would be certainly be included. From the early days when he called her “carrots”
to their “house of dreams” and eventual brood of children, this love story has
been a favourite for generations.

Ariel: Name a book
that’s about making sacrifices and fighting for your dreams

The Help by Kathryn
Stockett (Skeeter): Sacrificing her safety and social standing, Skeeter
works with alongside the local help (African American maids) to tell their
story of working in the homes of prominent Mississippi white families and
raising their children. This book is set during the turbulent civil rights
movement in the early 1960’s. I’d also like to add that although I enjoyed the book
this is one of the very few examples were the movie was even better.

Belle: Name a book
with a smart and independent character:

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (Aminata): Kidnapped as
a child and shipped from her home in Africa to the American south, Aminata is
sold into slavery. Suffering loss and hardships that seems never ending, she
eventually becomes free. With her literary skills that she secretly obtained,
Aminata works to help other freed slaves start a life in Nova Scotia before returning
to Africa and working for the Abolitionists. The strength and perseverance of
this character is something I won’t soon forget.

Jasmine: Name a book
with a character who challenged the social conventions of his or her world:

Astor Place Vintage
by Stephanie Lehmann (Olive): In the
early 1900’s when a woman was expected to marry and start a family, not begin a
career in a world run by men, Olive sets out to make her own way. After the
death of her father she is determined to become a buyer for a New York
department store, meanwhile she can’t even keep a room at a hotel without being
in the company of her father or a husband. In addition to this character, my
previous responses of Aminata (The Book of Negroes) and Skeeter (The Help)
would fit into this category as well.

Pocahontas: Name a
book whose ending was a roller coaster of emotions:

Dear John by Nicholas
Sparks: I admit that most of the Nicholas Sparks books I’ve read leave me
blubbering like a baby and Dear John is no exception. A couple being separated
by war after the events of 9/11 was heartbreaking. Without giving anything
away, the ending left me throwing my hands up in the air and saying “WHHHHAT?!”.

Mulan: Name a book
with a kick-ass female character:

Fanny: Being the True
History of the Adventures of Fanny Hackabout-Jones by Erica Jong (Fanny): It
has been a few years since I read this book, but if female pirates doesn’t
scream kick-ass, I don’t know what does.

Tiana: Name a book
that features a hardworking, self-made female character:

The Friday Night
Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (Georgia): In an attempt to earn some money
before the birth of her daughter, Georgia begins selling her knitted creations.
This would eventually lead the single mother to open her own yarn shop in the
heart of New York City. Even though this novel wasn’t a particular favourite of
mine, I can’t help but admire this character for her independence.

Rapunzel: Name a book
that features an artist:

The Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (Lena): It isn’t until the third book in
the series (Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood) that Lena’s art
begins to take a lead in her plotline. Even though her parents want her to take
a different path, she is determined to attend art school.

Merida: Name a book
that features a mother-daughter relationship:

The Secret Keeper by
Kate Morton (Dorothy and Laurel): This book tells the
story of an actress named Laurel Nicholson, as she tries to uncover the secrets
of her dying mothers past. Laurel's curiosity stems from an incident she
witnessed over 50 years before involving a man Dorothy (Laurel's mother) once
knew.

Anna
and Elsa: Name a relationship that features a great relationship between
siblings:

Until
We Reach Home by Lynn Austin (Elin, Kirsten and Sofia):After the death of both parents, Elin
Carlson feels she must protect her younger sisters from the advances of their
uncle and leave their beloved farm in Sweden. With the help of another uncle,
Elin arranges for the three young women to immigrate to America, in hopes for a
better life.

Well that was more challenging than I
thought it would be. I second guessed myself on almost all of the questions and
went over my goodreads shelves over and over again. I had fun doing it though
because it gave me a chance to reminisce over books that I read several years
ago.

Don’t forget to check out the original
posting of this tag on Soudha’s blog here.

I would like to tag anyone who takes
the time to read my post. Don’t forget to link back to the original and leave
me your link in the comments.